She's Got Him Memorized
by Black Mary Janes
Summary: [Songfic to Taylor Swift's song I'd Lie] Kelsi has a hidden passion that apparently isn't as hidden as she thought it was. Relsi!


**Just something random I wrote in twenty minutes. I thought it was pretty cute, though I'm not sure about the ending. Just have fun with it!**_  
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_I don't think that passenger seat  
Has ever looked this good to me  
He tells me about his night  
And I count the colors in his eyes_

_"I'll never fall in love"  
He swears, as he runs his fingers through his hair  
I'm laughing 'cause I hope he's wrong  
And I don't think it ever crossed his mind  
He tells a joke, I fake a smile  
And I know all his favorite songs_

_And I could tell you  
His favorite color's green  
He loves to argue  
Born on the seventeenth  
His sister's beautiful  
He has his father's eyes  
And if you ask me if I love him  
I'd lie  
_

Kelsi's fingers were tired, her head was buzzing slightly, but she ignored it all, the smile on her face wide. It was the perfect rehearsal of the perfect musical, she told herself, with the perfect leading man. But she didn't say any of the out loud.

She stood with Darbus among the clump of teenagers that was the cast, adding her notes every know and then, watching her classmates fidget. And even though she tried not to compliment him too much, everyone knew Ryan was getting the most praise. He smiled modestly, nodding each time, a simple gesture that made Kelsi's heart skip a beat.

Once Darbus dismissed her cast, he walked right up to her, his soft, pale hands reaching for hers. "I'm giving you a ride home, right?" He asked. She nodded, mumbled something about her music, and rushed to the piano. He followed just a few steps behind, his long legs having no trouble keeping with her shorter ones. He helped her neatly place the sheets in her folder, making sure that each faced the right direction.

Together they walked out to the darkening parking lot, laughing a joking like the old friends they were. Kelsi took her usual place in the passenger seat of his hunter green convertible, sticking her music in-between the seats. As he drove, she tried to focus on his words, but her attention was being drawn to his lips, his eyes, his hand on the steering wheel, his hair, now free of the fedora that had been perched on his head all day. He was saying something about love. He was so close, to the truth, to the reason, to her. She just smiled and nodded, knowing it was all she was ever going to do.

_He looks around the room  
Innocently overlooks the truth  
Shouldn't a light go on  
Doesn't he know that I've had him memorized for so long  
And he sees everything in black and white  
Never let nobody see him cry  
I don't let nobody see me wishin' he was mine_

_I could tell you  
His favorite color's green  
He loves to argue  
Born on the seventeenth  
His sister's beautiful  
He has his father's eyes  
And if you ask me if I love him  
I'd lie  
_  
_He stands there, then walks away  
My God, if I could only say  
I'm holding every breath for you_

It was torture, that ride home, but it was a torture Kelsi submitted herself to every night. She had her license, and she shared a car with her younger sister. She could always just drive Emma home, then come back for rehearsals, which didn't start until an hour after the last bell. But she never did. She always let Emma take the car, and Ryan always drove her home. Part of her knew how pathetic it was, the entire situation. But the other part of her didn't care. It was her time with him, and she wasn't going to give that up.

He pulled into the driveway, putting the car in park. Kelsi undid her buckle, reaching for her sheet music. Instead, she found a soft, pale, warm hand.

"Kels, you've been really quiet." He said. "What's up?"

It was a simple question. She could have said the truth. Told him everything that was inside her, everything she was bursting to say, to do to him. She could have told the truth.

"Nothing." She said, smiling. "Just tired."

"Go get some sleep." He said, grinning. "You're no good if you fall asleep at the piano." She smiled, reaching for the door handle.

"Are you sure nothing's bothering you?" He asked suddenly. "I mean…it's only around me that you're this quiet anymore. And, well…" He ran his fingers through those golden locks that Kelsi had spent twenty minutes admiring. "It's just making me think…"

He was there. He would say it, and she would say yes, and it would be happily ever after.

"What?" Kelsi asked, raising an eyebrow. "You think I might like you?"

"Well…" Ryan was blushing now. "Maybe."

Kelsi laughed. "I thought Sharpay was the one with the ego." She said, opening the door.

"Kels!" Ryan called. She stopped, turning back to him. They two just looked at each other for a beat before Ryan grabbed her hand, pulling her back into the car. IN one swift motion, his lips met hers, and Kelsi realized something.

She didn't have to lie anymore.

_He'd never tell you  
But he can play guitar  
I think he can see through everything but my heart  
First thought when I wake up is  
My God, he's beautiful  
So I put on my make-up  
And pray for a miracle  
_  
_Yes, I could tell you  
His favorite color's green  
And he loves to argue  
Oh, and it kills me  
His sister's beautiful  
He has his father's eyes  
And if you ask me if I love him...  
Don't you ask me if I love him...  
'Cause I'd lie_


End file.
